Islam

Like the Hindus, Guyana's Muslims are organized into orthodox and
reform movements. The Sunnatival Jamaat is the orthodox Sunni Islamic
movement. The largest Islamic organization in the country is the Guyana
United Sadr Islamic Anjuman. The reform movement, the Ahmadiyah, was
founded in India in the late nineteenth century; its first missionary to
Guyana arrived in 1908. The reform movement has had considerable
success, even including some Afro-Guyanese among its converts. The rites
of orthodox and reform Islam are similar, but the reform movement allows
the Quran to be read in English and women to enter a designated section
of the mosque. In contrast to the situation found on the Indian
subcontinent, Muslims and Hindus experience little friction in Guyana.
These two religious communities have a tacit agreement not to
proselytize each other's members. In smaller villages, Christians and
Muslims come together to participate in each other's ceremonies.

Until the 1970s, Hindu and Muslim holidays were not officially
recognized. A number of non-Christian religious days are now public
holidays. Hindu holidays include Holi, the spring festival, and Divali,
the festival of lights. Muslim holidays include Id al Fitr, the end of
Ramadan, the sacred month of fasting; Id al Adha, the feast of
sacrifice; and Yaum an Nabi, the birthday of Muhammad. The dates for
these holidays vary. An East Indian heritage day is celebrated and on
May 5, an Amerindian festival is held on Republic Day, in February.